Music-leaf turner



N0. 6I7,364. Patented Jan. I0, I899. A. E. SMITH.

MUSIC LEAF TURNER.

(Application filed Oct. 28, 1897.)

2 Sheets-Sheet L (No Model.)

' Patented Jan. l0 I899. A. E. SMITH.

MUSIC LEAF TURNER.

(Application filed Oct. 28, 1897.)

2 Sheets-Shaet 2.

(No Model.)

.777 LA /7T0 1 1.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUSTUS E. SMITH, OF LOS .BANQS, CALIFORNIA.

MUSIC-LEAF TURNER.

SPECIFI GATIDN forming part of Letters Patent No. 617,364, dated January10, 1899;

' Application filed October 28, 1897- Serial No. 656,701. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS E. SMITH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Los Banos, in the county of Merced and State of California,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Music-Leaf Turners,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in attachments to the desks 0rmusic-racks of pianos and similar musical instruments for holding andturning the leaves of the music book or sheet by the simple movement ofa key; and the said improvements have for their object to produce asimple and effectivelyworking device that can be readily applied foroperation to any piano or to a musicstand.

The said improvements comprise certain novel construction andcombination of parts, as hereinafter fully described, and pointed out inthe claims at the end of this specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a deviceembodying my said improvements. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of thedevice. Fig. 3 is a detail side view of the springclip on themusic-desk. Fig. 4; is a plan or top view of the leaf-turnin gmechanism, showing a portion of the casing broken away. Fig. 5 is alongitudinal section through Fig. 4 on the line 00 02. Figs. 6 to8,inclusive, are detail views, on an enlarged scale, of the cam and someof the mechanism within the casin g and the parts on the outside thatconnect the leaf-turning arms with the mechanism. Fig. 6 is alongitudinal section through the center of the cam. Fig. 6% is a topview of the cam. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section through the centralrod or spindle and the sleeve which operates the first leaf-turning arm.In this figure one of the leaf-turning arms is represented as raisedfrom its position on the rod to show more clearly the latch 'l and thegroove V. Fig. 7 is a cross-section at x 3 Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a view incross-section through y y, Fig. 7. Fig. 8 is a top view of the sleeve orhub that actuates the second one of the leaf-turning arms. Fig. Cris adetail View, on an enlarged scale, of a portion of the turning-post thatactuates the music-turning arms. Fig. 10 shows in detail the front andside views of the s prin glatch that locks the arms to the post. Fig. 11is a cross-section through the post at y ,2', Fig. 10. Fig. 12 is a sideview of the spring-clip on the end of the leaf-turning arm, and Fig. 13is an end view of the same. Fig. 14; is a longitudinal section takenthrough the case at the line .2, Fig. I.

A indicates a box or case inclosing the operating-cam and other parts ofthe mechanism.

B is a bar or strip having a pitch or inclination backward to supportthe music at a suitable angle.

B B are boards or leaves attached by hinges to the center bar to foldtogether for convenience in shipping the attachment or in putting itaway when not required for use. When folded out flatly, these boards andthe center bar B form the desk or support for the music.

0 are narrow boards attached to the case A by hinges 0 e on each side tofold up against the case after the boards 13 are closed. In theirextended position these boards 0 (1 lie horizontally and form a stablebase for the attachment.

D is'a spring-clip on the fixed center bar, adjustable up and down toaccommodate sheet-music of diiferent sizes and constructed, as shown inFig. 3, with a stationary jaw cZ a hinged jaw d, and a sleeve d fittedto slide on a guide-rod (1 The sleeve is set in about flush with thefront of the center bar, and the rod d is fixed in the groove. The jaw dis rigidly secured to the sleeve, and the movable jaw 61, pivoted to thesleeve (Z is provided with a thumb-piece d on the upper end, under whichis placed a spring d to hold the jaws closed with proper degree ofpressure. A lip or projection d on the hinged jaw, which bears againstthe rod, serves to lock the sleeve and prevent it from slipping on therod. XVhen the thumb-piece d is de pressed, this lip is drawn away fromthe rod and the sleeve is movable up or down. The lower edge of themusic-sheet rests on the top of the case A between the center bar B andthe spindle on which the leaf-turning arms are mounted.

The leaf-turning arms are formed of rods E E, each secured to a separatesleeve and carrying on the outer end a spring-clip F, the constructionof which is shown in Figs. 12 and 13.

F F are two jaws with knuckles f f fitted loosely on the arm to open andclose like a pair of nippers, and f is a coil-spring placed between thelower members of the jaws to press the upper edges together. The lowerends of the jaws form finger-pieces for opening the gripping ends.

The cam G is formed with a groove 9 of proper shape to produce one-halfof an entire revolution of the cam by the vibratory movement of a leverll, having a fulcrum h and extending through a slot a in the front ofthe case to the outside. A pin 7L2 on the inner end of this lever liesin the groove of the cam, so that by depressing the key on the outer endof the lever the short perpendicular movement of the inner ends turnsthe cam Gen its center aboutahalf ofa complete revolution.- Acoil-spring its on the fulcrum-post lb of the key raises the key andthrows back the cam to its starting-point.

The cam being fixed on the spindle or post K, the latter is rotated inthe bearing a at the bottom and a in the top of the case, first in aforward direction, or from right to left, by the depression of the key,and afterward in the contrary direction, or back to the startingpoint,by the reaction of the coil-spring 7L3. At the beginning of everymovement in the forward direction a leaf-turning arm is locked to thepost K and is carried over to the left side of the desk; but on thereturn movement of the cam and the post K the arm previously carriedover is released from the post and held by a locking-dog L, so that thecam and the post return without the arm. The locking-dog is attached toa lever L and works through a slot L in the top of the case. The lever Lis fulcrumed at l; and extends through a slot a in the front of thecase. A leaf-spring If throws up the lever when the pressure of thefinger is taken off. As each leaf-turning arm in succession rides overthe dog L it is held and kept in position at the left-hand side of thedesk until the lever L is depressed, at which time a single movement ofthe lever releases all the arms.

The first or lowest one, E, in the set of leafturning arms is locked tothe cam by a tooth m in a recess in the top of the cam and alug on thelower end of the sleeve E to which the arm is fixed, so that the sleeveis locked to the cam at the initial movement of the lastnamed piece andis carried with it; but on the return or contrary rotation the camleaves the sleeve in such position with the arm E at the left-hand sideof the ease. The return throw of this arm when released from the dog Lis effected by a coil-spring 1 one end of which is secured to a fixedpoint in the case and the other end to the sleeve E The nextleaf-turning arm E is locked to the post at the next rotative movementof the cam by a spring-latch working in a groove in the post andengaging a slot in the sleeve of the arm, the construction of which isas follows: 1 groove S is cut in the post K and a flat spring T, havingtwo projecting teeth or nibs t 6 is set in the groove and secured at thelower end, leaving the upper end portion free to spring out and throwthe nibs beyond the face of the post. In line with the lower nib t iscut a groove r in the inner face of the sleeve E for about one-half thecircumference of the bore of the sleeve 03, and in the bottom of theother sleeve 11 is cut a slot or recess t, that comes in line with thetop nib t and is caused to engage that slotwhen the spring-latch isthrown out of the groove in the post. These grooves in the two sleevesand the projecting nibs of the spring-latch are so arranged that whenthe arm E is left at rest at the left side of the desk and the cambrings the post back again to the starting-point the lowermost nib 6will spring into the groove 1;, and thus allow the upper tooth or nib tto spring out of the slot in the post and engage the slot 'v in thebottom of the sleeve E. This looks that sleeve to the post, and as thekey D is depressed the cam will turn the post and carry around to theleft the second leaf-turning arm. lly the movement of the first arm Efrom right to left the coilspring P is wound up and remains in tensionas long as the arm is held in position by the locking-dog L; but ondepressing the lever L the arm is released, allowing the spring toreact, and thereby carry all the arms on that side over to theright-hand side. This movement allows a page of the music to be turnedback again for repeating passages when desired.

In the above construction two leaf-turning arms are described and shown,but several additional arms can be added and the number increased byproviding on the same post, which will be increased in length for thatpurpose, an additional spring-latch with two ribs 13 t and acorresponding arrangement of grooves in the sleeves of the additionalarms. Thus for a third arm the sleeve E of the second arm has a groove vwhich corresponds in length with the groove r in the sleeve E and aspring-latch T is set in a groove in the post in required position tobring its nibs into line with the groove t in the sleeve E and with thegroove or slot provided in the sleeve of the third arm to engage the topnib of the latch. This locking mechanism is identical in itsconstruction and operation with that which looks the second arm to thepost, and thus any required number of leaf-turning arms can be providedin this mechanism simply by increasing the length of the post andproviding additional spring-latches.

As thus constructed and arranged for operation, the device is actuatedby a depression of the right-hand key, a single movement of which willthrow an arm and carry the leaf confined in the clip on the end of thearm over to the left-hand side of the desk and IIO leave it there, or bydepressing the key at the left the arm will be thrown back to its firstp0sition,carrying theleaf of music back again.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the center bar hinged boards guide-rod on thecenter bar, station ary rod, sliding sleeve, springjaws secured to andcarried by said sleeve one of said jaws being stationary and the otheradapted to open and close, and the lip or projection on the hinged jawsarranged to bite the stationary rod and hold the sleeve, a case at thebottom of the center bar, a rotatable post having bearings in said case,a cam giving motion to said post, alever engaging the same cam androtating the same by depressing the outer end thereof, leaf-turning armsmounted for rotation on said post, mechanism locking said arms to thepost in successive order at each rotative movement of the post fromright to left and releasing said arms by a reverse movement and acoil-spring adapted to be wound up by the forward throw of the firstleaf-turning arm and by reaction to throw the .arms back again from leftto right, and aloe]:-

arm having a clip on the outer end, a sleeve on the inner end fittedloosely upon the post, a lug on the lower end of the sleeve, aconcentric groove in the base of said sleeve, asleeve superposed on thesleeve of the lowermost arm and carrying a second arm, a spring-latch inthe post having nibs or projections and grooves in the said sleevearranged with relation to the nibs of the spring-latch for operation asset forth.

3. In a music-leaf turner, the combination of the center bar, hinged andfolding boards on the sides, case at the bottom of the center bar havinghinged base-boards, a rotatable center post in said case, leaf-turningarms centered 011 said post, means for locking said arms to the postunder its rotative movement in one direction, a locking device to holdsaid arms at rest when thrown over to the left side of" the desk, apivoted lever projecting from the front of said case and meansconmeeting said lever with the post and adapted by the downward movementof the lever to produce rotary movement of the post, and a spring forreturning said arms to their original position when released from thelocking means.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand andseal.

AUGUSTUS E. SMITH. [L. 3.]

lVitnesses CHAs. E. KELLY, O. W. M. SMITH.

